Khia
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Post by Khia on Feb 17, 2024 16:14:40 GMT -5
Variants with the same tracklist are kind of whatever. Collectors can get them all, regular fans can pick their favorite. She could release the same album with 100 different covers, and everyone would get the same body of work.
But we're going beyond that. Of course no one is forced to buy all the different versions, but it's frustrating as a fan to preorder the album, then have another version announced a week later with one additional track. It's even worse when there are several bonus tracks scattered across different versions.
What could possibly be the purpose of this (repeated) strategy other than greed (and as someone else said, I don't think it's the money, it's the power/records/stats)? Even if there are ways to hear the complete body of work without dropping $50+ on multiple variants, why make it harder than it needs to be for your fans to access your music?
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Post by adamalterlago on Feb 17, 2024 16:27:14 GMT -5
I might be sympathetic to this vinyl release strategy if I heard the bonus tracks beforehand, so I could decide which vinyl I’m purchasing, and they were not limited editions that I wouldn’t be able to purchase later. It’s very very annoying. Why doesn’t she just release the bonus tracks now to let us decide what we want to buy? I won’t be purchasing anything until official release date.
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taysbody
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Post by taysbody on Feb 17, 2024 17:43:28 GMT -5
as someone who's never purchased anything from taylor store and only listen to her music through apple music or spotify i really don't get what's the issue with variants. yeah it's greedy but it's nothing new she's been doing this since folklore but it seems like this time the backlash is even more than it used to be. if you feel like you can't purchase any of the variants then just stick to the standard version and once the bonus tracks leak somewhere add them to spotify i really don't think that this is something to get mad over when you have a choice
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taysbody
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Post by taysbody on Feb 17, 2024 17:45:43 GMT -5
and btw this is what an insider on reddit had to say about ttpd ""The album has pop-rock influences, definitely will be different from midnights. Will be alt-pop and pop-rock influences throughout the album"
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Dylan :)
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Post by Dylan :) on Feb 17, 2024 18:32:07 GMT -5
as someone who's never purchased anything from taylor store and only listen to her music through apple music or spotify i really don't get what's the issue with variants. yeah it's greedy but it's nothing new she's been doing this since folklore but it seems like this time the backlash is even more than it used to be. if you feel like you can't purchase any of the variants then just stick to the standard version and once the bonus tracks leak somewhere add them to spotify i really don't think that this is something to get mad over when you have a choice You can’t just add songs to your mobile Spotify. Think of how long we were waiting for Hits Different
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Post by adamalterlago on Feb 17, 2024 20:36:09 GMT -5
I might be sympathetic to this vinyl release strategy if I heard the bonus tracks beforehand, so I could decide which vinyl I’m purchasing, and they were not limited editions that I wouldn’t be able to purchase later. It’s very very annoying. Why doesn’t she just release the bonus tracks now to let us decide what we want to buy? I won’t be purchasing anything until official release date. For completists it’s annoying. I’m a vinyl collector and while I don’t mind variants of album cover, I don’t like variants with different songs scattered all over the place. I also like to have physical as well as digital.
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wjr15
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Post by wjr15 on Feb 17, 2024 22:04:00 GMT -5
Queen of Capitalism!
I’d say I’m a Taylor fan but I’m not a stan, so I’m fine with buying just the original version of the album. But I can just imagine the frustration as a stan if you want to hear (or own) every single one of her songs and you’re having to buy multiple versions of the same album to do that. Different album covers or vinyl colors is one thing (as long as the tracklist is the same) but a different bonus track on each version is kinda tacky especially when it’s obvious the album was gonna open massive with just one version alone. The multiple versions of Midnights was a bit much but this is just over the top (especially with it being limited edition).
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bat1990
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Post by bat1990 on Feb 18, 2024 12:18:27 GMT -5
OMG HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! This was actually quite helpful for me getting stuff done today
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Marooned@Midnight
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Post by Marooned@Midnight on Feb 18, 2024 12:49:37 GMT -5
If the different versions annoy people, just…don’t buy them? I consider myself a Stan, but I don’t use physical copies of music anymore. I support by streaming and that’s it. She could release 20 versions with 20 different bonus tracks, and my total number of copies purchased would still be zero. At the same time I don’t at all begrudge collectors, who enjoy getting each version or finding that special version that’s just for them.
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Post by adamalterlago on Feb 18, 2024 13:24:49 GMT -5
If the different versions annoy people, just…don’t buy them? I consider myself a Stan, but I don’t use physical copies of music anymore. I support by streaming and that’s it. She could release 20 versions with 20 different bonus tracks, and my total number of copies purchased would still be zero. At the same time I don’t at all begrudge collectors, who enjoy getting each version or finding that special version that’s just for them. I understand your view but your last statement is the issue for those “finding that special version”…we can’t. We are being asked to choose which album we want, speaking on music alone not cover art, without knowing which one is for us - WHILE supplies last. If it wasn’t limited edition, I’d just wait for the release and decide. But we can’t.
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HEADOFTHEPACK
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Post by HEADOFTHEPACK on Feb 18, 2024 14:17:15 GMT -5
Yeah the whole thing is just BS because it has nothing to do with ensuring even huge fans get full access to the music or some ultimate edition that has everything beyond the standard album. If that was the case, we’d have a full Midnights + extra tracks release by now as others have pointed out. It’s purely to boost sales and it’s a blind purchase while stock lasts, which is pretty shitty.
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Dylan :)
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Post by Dylan :) on Feb 18, 2024 14:28:52 GMT -5
If the different versions annoy people, just…don’t buy them? I consider myself a Stan, but I don’t use physical copies of music anymore. I support by streaming and that’s it. She could release 20 versions with 20 different bonus tracks, and my total number of copies purchased would still be zero. At the same time I don’t at all begrudge collectors, who enjoy getting each version or finding that special version that’s just for them. But we want to hear all her music, not just a select few. We don't have to pay for a whole new album just for one additional track. And it's not as simple as just streaming it on YouTube as her team were very active in removing any videos of You're Losing Me and Hits Different before their respective releases (I'd know, I got a strike for a YLM mashup!). On top of that, if you download from YouTube, there is no way to get it onto mobile Spotify. So instead of having a cohesive album you can listen to front to back, you're stucking with this disjointed roll out of some songs on some forms of release and some songs on other - on top of the duplication of having to buy loads of albums with the exact same songs. I am a diehard Taylor fan, and yet I can admit this is straight up greed, record manipulation, and offputting
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Marooned@Midnight
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Post by Marooned@Midnight on Feb 18, 2024 20:38:22 GMT -5
If the different versions annoy people, just…don’t buy them? I consider myself a Stan, but I don’t use physical copies of music anymore. I support by streaming and that’s it. She could release 20 versions with 20 different bonus tracks, and my total number of copies purchased would still be zero. At the same time I don’t at all begrudge collectors, who enjoy getting each version or finding that special version that’s just for them. But we want to hear all her music, not just a select few. We don't have to pay for a whole new album just for one additional track. And it's not as simple as just streaming it on YouTube as her team were very active in removing any videos of You're Losing Me and Hits Different before their respective releases (I'd know, I got a strike for a YLM mashup!). On top of that, if you download from YouTube, there is no way to get it onto mobile Spotify. So instead of having a cohesive album you can listen to front to back, you're stucking with this disjointed roll out of some songs on some forms of release and some songs on other - on top of the duplication of having to buy loads of albums with the exact same songs. I am a diehard Taylor fan, and yet I can admit this is straight up greed, record manipulation, and offputting I hear you. I guess I just don’t care about any of that. Collect those coins Taylor!
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andrebra
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Post by andrebra on Feb 19, 2024 0:59:48 GMT -5
Telling the billionaire to collect her coins 🥴
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Kinney
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Post by Kinney on Feb 19, 2024 1:56:06 GMT -5
And Cruel Summer is finally going to hit #1 down under. Pink lost somewhere in the outback.
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Marooned@Midnight
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Post by Marooned@Midnight on Feb 19, 2024 7:11:29 GMT -5
Telling the billionaire to collect her coins 🥴 Just because she’s a billionaire doesn’t make her some evil overlord. I don’t begrudge anyone who works as hard as she does, and is as philanthropic and generous as she is, making her fortune. No one is out here telling Tim Cook to not release different versions of the iPhone or Elon Musk to stop making different models of the Tesla. Again, if people don’t want it, please don’t buy it. But some people do want it and that’s ok too. Again, I’m not one of them, but they are clearly out there. If people are so upset by this tactic, I hope you know the only real way to stop it is to stop buying all these different versions.
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Maximillian
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Post by Maximillian on Feb 19, 2024 8:42:04 GMT -5
Telling the billionaire to collect her coins 🥴 Just because she’s a billionaire doesn’t make her some evil overlord. I don’t begrudge anyone who works as hard as she does, and is as philanthropic and generous as she is, making her fortune. No one is out here telling Tim Cook to not release different versions of the iPhone or Elon Musk to stop making different models of the Tesla. Again, if people don’t want it, please don’t buy it. But some people do want it and that’s ok too. Again, I’m not one of them, but they are clearly out there. If people are so upset by this tactic, I hope you know the only real way to stop it is to stop buying all these different versions. Yeah the sudden “TS is a billionaire *insert cringe face*” narrative is really exhausting. She’s literally walking proof you can be a billionaire, pay people a living wage and be philanthropic without being bullied into doing it for good PR. Hopefully she’s the model for other people who become billionaires.
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andrebra
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Post by andrebra on Feb 19, 2024 9:13:12 GMT -5
Telling the billionaire to collect her coins 🥴 Just because she’s a billionaire doesn’t make her some evil overlord. I don’t begrudge anyone who works as hard as she does, and is as philanthropic and generous as she is, making her fortune. No one is out here telling Tim Cook to not release different versions of the iPhone or Elon Musk to stop making different models of the Tesla. Again, if people don’t want it, please don’t buy it. But some people do want it and that’s ok too. Again, I’m not one of them, but they are clearly out there. If people are so upset by this tactic, I hope you know the only real way to stop it is to stop buying all these different versions. Tim Cook does not try to incentivize people to buy multiple iPhones that are basically the same but each have one small difference. I love Taylor DOWN, she’s been my top artist for years and will stay that way, but she knows how to pinch her fans for their funds and I’m not here for it.
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kamala 2024 truther
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Post by kamala 2024 truther on Feb 19, 2024 9:30:47 GMT -5
I don’t think it’s anything to do with being upset or cringing at the fact that TS is now a billionaire, at least that’s not where it’s at for me. It’s the fact that this was a blatant attempt—that will obviously be very successful—to get as much of her fans’ money as possible. Which can of course be said for any artist—Conan Gray, for example, has six different vinyl variants of his upcoming album Found Heaven available for purchase, Ariana has a boatload of variants of eternal sunshine up for pre-order, and Kelly Clarkson did the same for chemistry. It’s nothing new. The difference with them though is that they didn’t tack a separate bonus track onto the end of those variants, and I think instances like that can be forgiven. But with this move by TS, we’re quite literally forced to buy each different variant if we want to hear each of the different bonus tracks, especially because the supplies are either limited or available for only a certain number of hours/days, we don’t know how long she’ll wait to put them on streaming (will this be like folklore and the tracks will be out less than a month later, or will this be like “You’re Losing Me” and not be out until nearly eight months have passed?) and we don’t know if she’ll ever re-release TTPD to contain all of its tracks on one physical copy. It’s a dilemma for diehards like me, who don’t want to miss out on any new TS music or have to wait for it when its readily available but simultaneously do not want to fall victim too hard to capitalism.
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Post by Rose "Payola" Nylund on Feb 19, 2024 9:31:17 GMT -5
Just because she’s a billionaire doesn’t make her some evil overlord. I don’t begrudge anyone who works as hard as she does, and is as philanthropic and generous as she is, making her fortune. No one is out here telling Tim Cook to not release different versions of the iPhone or Elon Musk to stop making different models of the Tesla. Again, if people don’t want it, please don’t buy it. But some people do want it and that’s ok too. Again, I’m not one of them, but they are clearly out there. If people are so upset by this tactic, I hope you know the only real way to stop it is to stop buying all these different versions. Tim Cook does not try to incentivize people to buy multiple iPhones that are basically the same but each have one small difference. I love Taylor DOWN, she’s been my top artist for years and will stay that way, but she knows how to pinch her fans for their funds and I’m not here for it. Okay but let’s not pretend Apple doesn’t have tactics of their own to pinch consumers for their funds. New iphones don’t even come with charging adapters or headphones anymore ffs.
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andrebra
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Post by andrebra on Feb 19, 2024 9:37:31 GMT -5
Tim Cook does not try to incentivize people to buy multiple iPhones that are basically the same but each have one small difference. I love Taylor DOWN, she’s been my top artist for years and will stay that way, but she knows how to pinch her fans for their funds and I’m not here for it. Okay but let’s not pretend Apple doesn’t have tactics of their own to pinch consumers for their funds. New iphones don’t even come with charging adapters or headphones anymore ffs. Oh I agree with you. I’m just saying the point of comparing him making different versions of the same phone to her doesn’t make sense to me because the goal for Apple usually isn’t for the customer to buy each version of the iPhone 15.
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Post by Rose "Payola" Nylund on Feb 19, 2024 9:45:26 GMT -5
Okay but let’s not pretend Apple doesn’t have tactics of their own to pinch consumers for their funds. New iphones don’t even come with charging adapters or headphones anymore ffs. Oh I agree with you. I’m just saying the point of comparing him making different versions of the same phone to her doesn’t make sense to me because the goal for Apple usually isn’t for the customer to buy each version of the iPhone 15. Yeah, not an even comparison but both have the same end goal. I don’t think Taylor’s tactic is as deep as the effort we’ve all put into this discussion would have us believe though. She does it because it works, though it does risk even partially the goodwill she has. Some fans buy the multiple copies, even if relunctantly. Most of us don’t. There are bonus tracks from some of the recent albums I’ve never heard because they weren’t on the version I found. It’s mildly annoying but if they were essential, they’d be available on streaming, and if I cared enough, I’d find an mp3 or something. In a lot of ways, it comes down to a choice and telling yourself it’s okay to not own every song. I’m not as big a Taylor collector as I am Gaga, so I try to imagine a scenario where Gaga releases 4 versions of Chromatica or Born This Way each with its own bonus track. Would I get them all? I’d probably consider it — but I’d also probably be too frustrated with the concept and buy the one with the best cover art and pirate the other 3 songs to have a complete digital set instead.
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schnetzka
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Post by schnetzka on Feb 19, 2024 10:20:01 GMT -5
I agree with the sentiment that putting out multiple versions is not new. However, I am not a fan of releasing different versions with one new song on each. That will end up never being on the same edition. Back when she released the different versions of 'Midnights', she ended up excluding "Paris" and "Glitch" on the 'Late Night Edition' of the album thus making it so not all of the songs were included on a single edition. And I just do not understand why it has to be that way. It is moments like that which prove it is about the money and chart positions. Because Taylor and the label know that people will buy all of the editions just to have all of the songs available. There are also plenty of people who cannot afford to buy the album multiple times just to hear one new song and they're being left out of the whole thing, which I think is the wrong move. I do not like the tactics Taylor has been doing with some of these newer albums. I commend her for finding revolutionary ways to get more music out there, but there has to be a better way. One that is accessible to everybody.
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theflying
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Post by theflying on Feb 19, 2024 10:54:36 GMT -5
It’s not that you guys don’t have valid points; I understand. It’s that, ultimately, literally no one is forcing you or anyone to spend money on anything you don’t want. Like, it isn’t pinching people for money when… you literally don’t have to pay more money lol.
I pre-ordered Midnights as a digital purchase (I’m lame and one of the few people that do this), and then, when she released the 3 AM tracks, I rebought the 3AM album instantaneously. And no regrets, because the surprise of this bitch scalping me with 7 new tracks absolutely blew me away. And hey, I’m over 30, I know I’ll listen to a new Taylor Swift album for a year - it’s fine if I spend an extra $20. But if I hadn’t wanted to do that, they’re still on Streaming.
What it feels like everyone is specifically annoyed about is the unwritten expectation that there is one “complete version” of the album; and I think the fanbase has to reconcile that there won’t be a “complete version” of the album. Now, yes, the reasons to change this strategy are indeed guided by capitalism. But - again, you’re not paying $30 for a Taylor Swift album, you’re most likely paying $0 for a Taylor Swift album (and just your monthly streaming fee).
If you’re paying for an album in 2024, you probably have extra money to spend. If you’re paying for a Taylor Swift album in 2024, you probably can drop an extra $20 on a $16 purchase or whatever a standard album costs, because Taylor’s likely one of your favorite artists.
And that’s really all it is: it’s creating an additional avenue for people who want to spend more money to do so.
I understand this is annoying, and not really something we’re used to in Pop music, and I’m NOT saying that people don’t have legitimate gripes about Pop artists finding alternative ways to maximize revenue.
But are we sure that there isn’t some level of unconscious bias at work? I can’t help but feel like the “capitalist Taylor pinching fans for money” stuff comes a little bit out of sentiments like good, virtuous female pop stars shouldn’t be maximizing their revenue. Are we sure there isn’t some subconscious stuff about expectations of gender coming into play?
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bat1990
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Post by bat1990 on Feb 19, 2024 11:04:51 GMT -5
*raucous applause* for this What it feels like everyone is specifically annoyed about is the unwritten expectation that there is one “complete version” of the album; and I think the fanbase has to reconcile that there won’t be a “complete version” of the album. and this
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wjr15
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Post by wjr15 on Feb 19, 2024 11:13:46 GMT -5
Are we sure there isn’t some subconscious stuff about expectations of gender coming into play? I’d be saying the same thing if Justin Bieber or The Weeknd pulled the same stunt. It has nothing to do with Taylor’s gender but all about Taylor’s influence in the industry. I’m almost certain that this will become a common practice now that Taylor has done it. Past examples of this include Target exclusives and multiple covers/vinyl colors for the same album; both of which Taylor was an early trendsetter for.
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bat1990
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Post by bat1990 on Feb 19, 2024 11:52:17 GMT -5
Truly, Olivia is the only one I can think of who beat her to the punch with the GUTS versions with four different extra tracks.
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Post by Rose "Payola" Nylund on Feb 19, 2024 11:54:29 GMT -5
Are we sure there isn’t some subconscious stuff about expectations of gender coming into play? Find a male artist worthy enough to care about to this degree and we might be able to answer this question.
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Post by Rose "Payola" Nylund on Feb 19, 2024 12:03:55 GMT -5
No way is she passing this up:
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Dylan :)
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Post by Dylan :) on Feb 19, 2024 13:47:58 GMT -5
Are we sure there isn’t some subconscious stuff about expectations of gender coming into play? Not even remotely, and you gathering that from our posts which don't even remotely hint to that is weird
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